The subject matter disclosed herein relates to fuel nozzles for gas turbine engines, and more specifically, to premixing fuel and air in the fuel nozzles.
A gas turbine engine combusts a mixture of fuel and air to generate hot combustion gases, which in turn drive one or more turbines. In particular, the hot combustion gases force turbine blades to rotate, thereby driving a shaft to rotate one or more loads, such as an electrical generator. Gas turbine engines typically include one or more fuel nozzles to inject a fuel into a combustor. For example, the fuel nozzle may premix fuel and air to inject a fuel-air mixture into the combustor. The degree of mixing can substantially impact the combustion process, and can lead to greater emissions if not sufficient. Unfortunately, the distribution of fuel into air within the fuel nozzle may be non-uniform due to various design constraints.